WINCHESTER community kitchen First Bite recently celebrated their first birthday.

Every Thursday, St Peter’s Church on Jewry Street hosts the food saving initiative which sees a talented team of volunteers, turn food that would otherwise be sent to landfill, into cut-price culinary masterpieces.

Serving from 12-2pm the community cafe sees customers all sit down and eat together.

Since first opening its doors to the public on November 2 last year the charity cafe has served 3,360 meals, fed 2,100 people & saved 1,680kg food (the equivalent of a female Rhino, Belgarum learns).

The kitchen recently received £4,000 from the council to extend its healthy eating workshop scheme ‘Grub Club’, which sees schools learn about healthy eating, cooking up some tasty grub and then sitting down and eating together.

Founded by Debbie Lockett, and siblings Mary and Richard Needham, Richard, a professional chef, said: “I was roped into it, but I love it. The plan long-term is to be go full time and get our own space.

"The council offered us a cheap rent on somewhere in the Brooks, but it was only for three months so we had to turn it down. “

The team is rounded out by student volunteer Kathrinea Young, and sous chefs, Melissa Butler-Smith and Tracy Gunner.

Melissa, who started as a volunteer, said that being involved such a great cause was an amazing experience. “We’ve become a little First Bite family,” she said.

Phil Robinson, Stock control manager at Tesco, that provides the pop up cafe with food said: “The first time I came down I thought it would be like a soup kitchen, but I was blown away by how good the food is.

“Having spent years putting food in the bin that you knew was good. Seeing it go to good use is great.”